Author: irara

Many of you will have seen posters like the one above around, promoting the annual IRARA picnic on the Irvine Road Field, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday July 3rd.

Unfortunately, we now have another illegal travellers’ encampment on the field, and although the authorities have begun the necessary legal processes to remove them, it doesn’t look as though they will be gone by the 3rd. Even if they are, it is unlikely that the Field will be fit for use until another major clean up has been done.

They appear to be some of the same travellers who were here three weeks ago, and who before then were evicted from the Hilly Fields where the  sturdy steel gate was simply torn off its hinges to gain access.

It seems that Colchester has now been identified as a soft target where the local borough council are happy to allow this squatters’ merry go round and foot the bill for continually cleaning up after them.

Please do not give landscaping or casual work to any unauthorised person who knocks on your door as the trees, vegetation, paving slabs, hardcore or other rubbish they take away will probably be dumped on the Irvine Road Field.

If it is possible to hold the picnic on July 3rd we will let you know. If we have to re-schedule the picnic for the 10th of July we issue new posters. Watch this space.

 

THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM ONE OF OUR LOCAL COUNCILLORS, ROGER BUSTON. IT CONTAINS SOME GOOD INFORMATION AND ADVICE, SO IT IS INCLUDED HERE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT IMPLY ANY ENDORSEMENT OF ANY POLITICAL PARTY.

·         The Essex County Travellers Unit (ECTU)  officers visited on 21/06/16 to carry out the initial assessment and start legal proceedings.

·         A Direction To Leave will be served on 22/06/16, stipulating 24 hours to vacate.

·         ECTU will return on 23/06/16 to proceed with legal action if necessary.

These are the “standard “ procedures : so nothing new there : tho’ I am pleased to note, more prompt following our report, than has been the case before .

On the occasion of another meeting I ( and Cllr Nick Cope) were attending at CBC with the District Commander Colchester Police , Chief Inspector Elliott Judge yesterday in regard to another Council matter , we raised the  matter of our unwelcome visitors with him, and asked him to look into whether or not we can explore perhaps new and different solutions to this ongoing problem. I noted in particular the fear and intimidation felt by residents , as well as noting the damage we believe to be criminal undertaken both here and on the Hilly Fields. Our comments were received constructively. CI Judge is committed to our town, and is most understanding of where I explained we are coming from. I will look forward to the possibility of a further meeting specifically on the subject  as soon as he has had the opportunity to further consider the matter for us. This is the first opportunity I have had for such a meeting.

I am similarly meeting one of the Executive Directors of CBC later this morning , again, to discuss this matter, and our concerns.

CBC is still unfortunately resisting my calls for better and improved security for the site to avoid yet further expensive and unnecessary incursions such as this. Be assured that we will nonetheless not let up the pressure on CBC in trying to secure this for you. Safety and security of its residents is an infrastructure matter rightly within the remit of CBC. That’s what we all pay our Council Tax for………and of course our visitors don’t……

In the meantime , thank you for all your kind and helpful – and often disturbing – responses . I will respond to all as soon as I can – but as you may imagine , I have very many , and I can’t reply to everyone at once !

As I have noted before please do keep reporting every and any incidents, but in doing so do not attract untoward behaviour or place yourselves in any danger. Please do not take any direct or other action yourselves, or place yourselves in any compromising or dangerous position. Photographic or recorded evidence is always best : particularly of the conduct of the various “businesses” run by these people and any evidence of any dangerous or insanitary practices or of Fly Tipping as has happened before. The Police cannot act let alone press for a prosecution without firm direct provable and personal evidence that can be sustained. If you feel directly threatened or intimidated : 999 is the call. For inconvenience etc , dial 101.

 

 

This photo was taken in 2002, before the fence was erected. To our certain knowledge the footpath has been in regular use by the public since 1970, well over 30 years.

Philip Morant School have again closed the footpath between the schools which provides access from Norman Way to The Girls’ High School and St Benedicts School, as well as providing a through route to Park Road and Lexden Road for other pedestrians and cyclists.

The school has taken to doing this in recent years to  remind the public that they own the strip of land between the main school grounds and their playing field. It is also an attempt to camouflage the fact that the footpath has been used by local residents for well over 30 years and should have been made a public right of way long before now.

The footpath is in fact an essential part of the cycle route from Shrub End and Prettygate into town, as well being vital to all local school children going to and from the three schools in both directions, from Lexden Road or Norman Way.

Several attempts have been made in the past to ‘encourage’ local children and residents to use Shady Lane (which goes behind the Irvine Road Orchard and between the Grammar School playing fields and the Girls’ High School playing fields), but being less than 2 metres wide along much of its length it isn’t wide enough for large numbers of pedestrians and will never qualify as a cycle path for the same reasons.

If Colchester Borough Council and Essex County Council are at all serious about improving and increasing cycle routes and access in and around the town, they need to accept that the footpath between the schools should be compulsorily purchased and dedicated as a permanent public footpath and cycle path, as this is the only cycle access through the area from Shrub End Road to Lexden Road and into the town centre.

It is now common knowledge that Philip Morant School’s long term ambition is to grab the Irvine Road Field for development and that in order to achieve this they will always frustrate any attempts to formalise the footpath. This is an important issue for everyone, because if they ever were allowed to start building on the field, the very first thing to go would be the footpath– forever!

Update: October 27th 2015

It was agreed at the AGM that the footpath issue will soon become crucial to the preservation of the Irvine Road Field and the Green at Painters’ Corner,  as the school are trying to find ways to close it so they can develop their playing field and join it onto the main campus.

IRARA would be very interested to hear from anyone (you don’t have to be a member, or even a local resident) who has been using the footpath on a regular basis for over 20 years as we want to show just how important it is to the community.

A particularly unpleasant and potentially violent bunch of travellers have appeared on the Irvine Road Field, and within hours of their arrival were threatening local residents.

Local residents were woken by the commotion as the travellers sneaked in at about 4am on Friday morning, and within hours they were shouting abuse and exposing themselves to passers by and dog walkers.

Police were called when one individual threatened your IRARA representative in the course of photographing the field with its new squatters and we were informed (by the same individual) that the field is now ‘their property’.

We urge all local residents to be extra vigilant with personal and domestic security, but please do not allow yourselves to be intimidated into not using the area, as this is exactly what they are trying to achieve.

Long term members will remember the last visit from travellers on the field and the appalling insanitary mess they left behind. Let’s hope they can be evicted before they do too much damage this time.

IRARA is in touch with the Colchester Borough Council and will keep members informed.

Update July 23rd

A  Mr  ‘John Smith’, spokesman for the travellers told the media last week on Friday that they intended to stay for only “5 or 6 days, as they were visiting friends”.  On Tuesday they were served with a 24 hour eviction notice by the landowners, Essex County Council requiring them to leave by 13.30 yesterday. Unsurprisingly they are still in residence and show no sign of leaving. We have been informed that ECC have ordered a court summons which will be served tomorrow and the hearing will take place on Monday 27th.

Update July 28th

The last of the travellers’ caravans disappeared some time yesterday evening, yesterday being the date on which CBC were intending to get a court order to remove the caravans.

Predictably, they have left quite a mess behind, but it could have been a lot worse. This is what 7 caravans can achieve in only 9 days.

Some of the sites submitted to the development list are alarming, to say the least. The irreplaceable water meadows on the River Colne, the picturesque countryside around the zoo, and of course, the unique Irvine Road Orchard.

See for yourself!

There are very few ancient orchards around. As far as we know (through information gleaned from several sources including the Orchard Network which has a register of all urban orchards in England) There are 4 traditional urban orchards left in Essex. None of the others appear to be ancient orchards, so the Irvine Road Orchard is probably unique.

There’s no doubt that it is a special place and it would be a tragedy if it were lost simply to make a fast buck for some ruthless property developer.

Let the Colchester Borough Council Planning Department know what you think, email them at:

planning.policy@colchester.gov.uk

Source: www.orchardnetwork.org.uk/

Animals known to live and feed and/or breed in the orchard include:

Foxes
Muntjac deer
Roe deer
Hedgehogs
Stag beetles
Bats, of various species
Noble chafers
Great Crested Newts
Sparrowhawks
Herons
Greater Spotted Woodpeckers

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers
Green Woodpeckers
Blackcaps
Chiffchaffs
Sedge warblers
Garden warblers
Pied wagtails
Yellow wagtails
Tawny owls
Little owls
Short Eared Owls
Wrens
Robins
Dunnocks
Sparrows
Song Thrushes
Linnets
Long Tailed Tits
Goldfinches
Coal tits
Bullfinches
Various types of frogs, toads
Grass snakes
Adders
Woodcock

It’s quite a list and still growing as the orchard is the end of the last continuous green strip in the South Western area of Colchester, so is part of a much wider and more important network of open spaces.

Photos of the orchard:

The whole area is an amazingly diverse wildlife habitat as it’s been virtually undisturbed for over 100 years

 

The orchard is well known for containing some very old and rare fruit trees, most of which still produce good crops.

 

The hedgerows are particularly important for Stag Beetles, Great Crested Newts and a wide variety of small animals & insects.